I have been teased a bit around talking about my dietary issues in the past. I felt that I needed to explain to people why I was not eating everything that was served to me and was avoiding many foods. I have discovered over the past few years that I cannot eat fatty foods without getting terrible, wrenching stomach aches. So, I began cutting foods that seemed to cause the problem from my diet. Problem solved, right?
Well, after talking about it with several people (and having my family talk about it with other family in my absence) I started to get paranoid that something was really wrong with me. So, to make a long story as short as possible, I did a little medical exploration with a digestive health specialist here in Santa Cruz.
After an ultrasound, a HIDA scan (which is a test of gallbladder function) and an upper endoscopy (where they look around your throat and stomach with a tube camera) the doctor was able to rule out anything too serious as the cause. Apparently I have a low functioning gallbladder. It’s on the cut-off line between normal and abnormal. So, she suggested that I have it removed.
After attempting to talk myself into surgery for several days, I realized that I just really didn’t want to do it. I’m terrified of complications from anesthesia, secondary infection and the side effects of the lack of a gallbladder. I googled “gall bladder removal side effects” and read a litany of message boards and articles detailing some of the awful side effects of not having a gallbladder to regulate the liver-produced bile. Basically it included every type of digestive upset possible. Most of the websites I read indicated that strict diets had to be followed to avoid… unpleasantness. But I’m already following a strict diet! Why would I want to go through surgery to possibly have to continue to follow the same damn regimen?!
At first I was a little disappointed in my doctor. Why hadn’t she mentioned these issues when I asked about complications? But as I thought about it, I realized that I had a very different reason for being in her office than the patients in the waiting room with me. Those other people are in real, serious, chronic pain and are looking for relief. I just wanted some peace of mind that I didn’t have a serious problem brewing in my stomach. So, I can’t really blame her for weighing the potential benefits more heavily than the risks and side effects. Though I explained to her that I wasn’t necessarily looking for a fix, just the cause, I suspect doctors have a bias toward doing something rather than nothing.
So, I’m not getting my gallbladder out. I’m going to continue to watch my diet, avoid fatty foods and just be grateful to have such minor problems which may even ultimately result in me being a healthier person in the long run.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
2 comments:
When they removed my stomach cancer, they also removed my gallbladder. I don't seem to be having any problems related to that. Just to reassure you that life can be good without a gallbladder.
I appreciate the input from someone who's been there. I know that one of the websites I was reading stated that about 60% of people do fine with little complication, but 40% have serious side effects. That success rate isn't good enough for me just for the privilege to eat fatty things that I really shouldn't be eating in the first place as part of a healthy lifestyle. I've pretty well gotten used to my dietary limits. But, ultimately, my gut (no pun intended) is telling me not to do it. And sometimes you just have to trust that, as I know you did to get a proper diagnosis.
Post a Comment